The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-13
My RattIeSnake Adventure.

Ihey told mo when arrived home that
looked pale, and my wife said she know
should suffer from so much wading IN the cold
water after trout.
[ am now going to relate what frightened
me, and see ii the readers blame me if looked
white.
Itwas on bright June morning, in the year
1885, Eddie harnessed old Jimmy to the wagon,
while l dressed up in my hunting suit and told
the women to get the lunch ready. / had
stout pair of corduroy pants made on purpose
Tor hunting and fishing, and in their mako up
the pockets were large and long and hung
down on my thighs in a way did not fancy.
HALO how is this2" CRIED as / put nv
spare lines in my left pocket 81 thought you
promised to alter these pockets before woald
want to use them again."
"Who knows, said my wife, "but tho
depth of those pockets may yet save your
life'
j said no more.
CAN ready" shouted Eddie. turned and
saw cid Jims face l.eering in at the window.
jumped in and made off, taking the road
that led up in the heart of old Osspee noun
tain to valley called Canaan. After a hard
scramble for the horse, we found ourselves
IN the happy land-surrounded on all sides by
lofty moWntains-we drove up TO one of the
farm houses and obtained a hitchng-plaee
for our horse; then with our fishing tackle we
started for Beams pond--a wild, lonely place,
high up among mountains Arriving there.
we caught sixty speekled beauties A fter this
we ate our lunch and caught twenty moro
trout, and made up our mind We had caught
all we could carry over the rough road, and
we had promised the women folks that we
would get them some spruce gum, hence we
had taken our long-handled chisel with us.
Upon the north side Of Ossipee mountain is q
heavy growth Of spruce, and for il we aimed.
AS we toiled up the old logging road, we sud-
denly came upon rattlesnalSe basking in the
sun directly in our path. Eddie obtained a
stout pole, and with few well directed blows
killed him.
He measured five feet and half, and had
two rattlers. Oh! how slludder when see
one of those monsters! Talk to me of your
pithons, cobras, moccasns and your water
snakes, think there is nothing more deadly
than our own New England rattlesnalse. L
know they give you warning Of your danger
III shIill, piercing alarms, but their deadly
spring is made at the same time of the warm
ing | took stout line and tied it round the
body of the snake, and Eddie dragged him
along, while / began my hunt for gum.
knew from the nature of the yarmints there
must be another snake not q great distance
off But we were after spruce gum not rat
tlesnakes, and we began to skifmish round
bri5lIly, for the afternoon was passing. Up
the side OF the mountain VIC saw q monster
spruce spruce Heturns W the wind mot, q ths previous
clump OF scrub oaks. Along the sides of
this tree were many Jumps OF pnye spruce
gum. gained the side of the fallen tree and
worked my way In among the thick shrubbery.
As began to pick off the humps, thought
what a lurking place for snakes These scrub
oaks were about four feet high. knew / had
stout garments on that would stand the pull
ing of the bushes. / had secured twenty or
thirty Jumps of gum, all within my reach, and
was making a push farther on, when | paused
Us though thunderbot had burst upon me,
from the clear heavens above. Reader, did
you ever hear that alarm? II not, you may
have heard the shrill cry Of our locusis that
fly from tree to tree during the warm days of
summer. Well then, you know something
about the alarm note of the rattlesnalSe, and
this was what heard, and what arrested my
steps.
liz starting to spring back my heel caught
against some obstruction, and in order TO save
myself was obliged to grasp branch of the
fallen spruce, the only thing at hand stout
enough to support me, and in doing this made
n slight spring TO the left Mcrciful powerl
Myleft foot came down on something that
moved, and struggled and Missed, and / felt
shock as though ten thousand galvanc batter
les had sent their currents through me.
/ cast my eye down, and saw bright bow
formed of two fine threads OF light clearly de-
fined amid the deep shade Of the scrub.
knew it was the monsters eyes flaming. maxi
ing " curve Of light as the ugly head swept to
and fro. But only for moment my foot was
on its body, not more than q third of the dis
lance from its tail, so that full two-tllirds Of
the body was free, and it was large snake
What did do? What could do? Within
one second after | looked down, the deadly
reptile was ready tostrike the head was thrown
back, the upper jaw raised until 1t fairly lay
over towards the crest, and knew the blow
was coming. / could only throw up my hands,
start backwards and think Of wife and children
at home. OH how my past life fitted before
my mental vision--was my life of wild rovings
ali over the world to end here on the side OF
old Ossipee mountain? The blow came quick
and strong, striking me upon the left thigh,
and | gave n spring backwards; j looked
downwards and saw that the yenomous reptile
was cinging to my pants, the hooked fangs
preventing his letting 20 while was in mo-
ton. In another instant, however, the pre-
henSie tail, or the lower part Of the body,
caught among the bushes and the fangs were
torn away.
Backwards to the sled road staggered, faint
and dizzy, knowing that / had been struck,
and expecting every moment TO feel the
touch OF the poison on my YitalS. AS ! reached
the logging roads Eddie was by my side. He
had noticed the fallen spruce and was making
for it..
But he paused and gazed at me, exclaiming:
"Father, what ails youY'
"Bitten" gasped.
N rattlesnake, father"
eyes, / said.
"WhereY
laid my hand on my thigh, Thcro L still
felt the force of the blow.
''Let us look. Wen cut into *, bind on a
piece of the fat Of the dead snake and then
drive for home. Quick, where Is it?'
My thigh was exposed fair and ruddy, but
not a mark Of the poisonous fangs was TO DO
seen.
"rhere's not bite here, father. Nor sign
Of one"
Eddie's happy smile OF assurance gave mo
strength, and my thoughts came TO my aid L
looked where the threads Of the corduroy had
been started up into loops by the tearing away
Of the snakes fangs, and saw that it was di-
rectly over the objectionable pocket. put
my hand into the pocket and drew forth the
only thing it contained, the broad fiat piece Of
shingle with the trout line wound upon il.
The line was new and OF fine white silk,
and We saw upon the silken surface the stain
of the snakes deadly virus; but VIC saw it
more plainly upon the smooth wood. Tho
teeth hadsstruck through pants, pocket and
three turns OF the line to the wood, and we
could follow tho yellowish green lines where
the subtitle poison had crept along the grains
of the wood as plainly as though they had
been drawn with pen and ink